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Lawtey, FloridaPhoto: LittleT889 · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Lawtey · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Lawtey

Lawtey isn’t graded for hazard risk: Lawtey has 897 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2017.

Flood claims
4
paid since 2017 · $180K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 20 declared for Bradford County
By hazard

What Lawtey faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

52%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

River and rain flooding

40%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Lightning Hail Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts lightning at 8% of Lawtey’s expected losses. Lightning does little damage to buildings (0.1%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Lawtey flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2017

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lawtey, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
2017: 3 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20172018
20172026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irma2 claims · $21K
4
paid claims since 2017
$180K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$45K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Lawtey isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Bradford County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1building retrofitted against wind
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lawtey

Disasters that paid out in Lawtey itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Lawtey), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene132 households applied for aid$370K aid approved
  2. 2017Hurricane Irma541 households applied for aid$643K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $21K
  3. 2012Tropical Storm Debby65 households applied for aid$66K aid approved$51K to the City of Lawtey for repairs
  4. 2008Tropical Storm Fay45 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$5K to the City of Lawtey for repairs
  5. 2004Hurricane Jeanne213 households applied for aid$382K aid approved
  6. 2004Hurricane Frances125 households applied for aid$183K aid approved$22K to the City of Lawtey for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LawteyBradford County only

Bradford County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Bradford County, 1999–2007.

Were you here?

Old photos of Lawtey after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Lawtey archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Lawtey faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Lawtey

Does Lawtey flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Lawtey since 2017, $180K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (2).

Is Lawtey in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Bradford County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Lawtey?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lawtey’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Lawtey?

By FEMA money that reached Lawtey, Hurricane Irma (2017): 541 households applied for aid, $643K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 2 paid, $21K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lawtey.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lawtey’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.